Yesterday was Veterans Day and it was also 11/11/11. {Not that 11/11/11 has any significance, it’s just cool.}
Our morning started off at my son’s elementary school where they did a program to honor all the Veterans. The school wanted to instill a sense of patriotism in their students and have them meet real military soldiers. My husband was in the Army for 8 years and it was awesome to see all veterans from WWII to the present.
In the evening, I took my Veteran to Olive Garden where he got a free meal. Several neat things happened. There was an employee going around with bread sticks for those waiting for a table. As I was taking a bite of the bread stick I mentioned to my husband that I would probably need a cup of water. Next thing I knew, a server came out with two cups of ice water and handed them to us. She had overheard my comment and got them for us. I was shocked!
After we sat down and ordered, the manager of Olive Garden came around and personally thanked all the Vets. He also handed out ‘Thank You’ cards. When my husband opened the card, there was a gift certificate for $10 off our next meal. Another surprise.
They truly made all the veterans visiting that night feel appreciated for their service. Way to go OG!
After dinner, we headed to our church where we got to celebrate O2. O2 is a night of worship that 12Stone has quarterly. It’s a time of worship and communion for members of the church. Last night they invited all 2500 of us {Yup..that’s a lot} to walk the new prayer path that they just opened up. It is a 1.6 mile path through the forest behind the church. It was already dark and they had lit the path with strands of Christmas lights. Since it was dark, they had volunteers at certain points to make sure no one got hurt. {Dark + Forest path = Potential Danger}
About halfway through, we came upon a volunteer that was shivering uncontrollably. He did not have a coat. The temperature dropped to 35 degrees and for southerners, that is extremely cold. My husband made a comment to him about it being a little colder than he thought. I could tell that he was very uncomfortable with no way to fix the problem. We walked on and I could not get his shaking image from my mind. I asked my husband if he had a blanket in the car and I wished we had an extra coat to give him. After 15 more minutes of me trying to figure out how to help the poor boy, my husband decided to go back and give him his coat. He went back and made the volunteer take his coat.
My husband is truly my hero. He not only served our country, but he is very considerate of others. When he realized that it was weighing on me that this volunteer was so cold, he gave up his warmth to help someone else. He is quick to help others by answering medical questions {he’s an RN} to volunteering as the Den Leader for cub scouts. He is the best father I could have ever imagined for our children. He is a hands-on dad who takes the time to play with his kids. He will make lunches in the morning and bring our kids to school if he thinks I need a morning off. On weekends, he will make everyone breakfast.
He is a leader not only in our home, but in our community. People naturally gravitate towards him. Friends seek him out to mentor with him for business and family advice. He is giving of his time and energy to help anyone in need. I have been truly blessed to able to journey life with this man. He is exactly who I prayed for in my teen years.
Thank you, husband-of-mine, for being the godly man that leads our family. Our children have a great example of how to lead with compassion. You are my best friend. I love you!
